The present invention relates to a display device for displaying images for a player and to a slot machine. More specifically, the present invention relates to a virtual image/real image superimposing and displaying apparatus for superimposing a virtual image on an real image and displaying the thus-superimposed images, as well as to a slot machine for effecting progress in a game through use of the displaying apparatus.
A hit-the-target game machine described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 323037/1996 is a game machine which uses a video display device employing virtual images.
In the hit-the-target machine, a target image appearing on a screen of a cathode ray tube (CRT) is displayed on a display by superimposing, with the aid of a half mirror, a virtual image of a hitting table on a mirror image of a hammer held by a player.
At the time of a game, the player plays the game while watching a screen of the video display device. The player swings his hammer down such that the mirror image of the hammer hits a target image.
When the player has successfully hit the target image, an impact sensor detects the hitting action and outputs a signal. On the basis of the outputted signal, a video controller switches the target image appearing on the CRT to a hit effect image.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 114221/1999 describes a composite image display device, a gaming machine, and a bowling game machine.
The composite image display device superimposes an actual ball on a ball of a video image and displays the thus-superimposed ball to an observer. The composite image display device includes a CRT display for displaying an image and a mirror for forming a virtual reflected image of the image.
At the time of a game, an actual ball tossed by a player rolls over a travel surface, passes through the mirror, and travels to a deeper position relative to the mirror.
When the actual ball passes through a half mirror portion of the mirror, a video-image ball having the same appearance as that of the actual ball appears, and the actual ball is replaced with the video-image ball.
When the actual ball has gone behind the mirror, movement of the actual ball is succeeded by movement of the video-image ball serving as a virtual reflected image.
As mentioned above, the image display device for use with a hit-the-target gaming machine effects a game through use of a mirror image of a hammer and a background image by means of simply a half mirror. The hit-the-target gaming machine is substantially equal to a commonly-known whack-a-mole game machine, except that an real image employed in the hit-the-mole gaming machine is replaced with a video expression. An image to be displayed for a player in the hit-the-target gaming machine is a warmed-over version of an old game and is simple.
In the above-described composite image display device, the gaming machine and the bowling gaming machine, after the actual ball tossed by the player has gone behind the mirror, travel of the actual ball is succeeded by movement of a video-image ball serving as a virtual reflected image. By means of spatially separating an actual portion from a virtual reflected image portion, there is yielded an advantage of reducing the space occupied by the gaming machine and facilitating the gaming machine. However, an actual substance used in a gaming machine is replaced with a mere video expression. Hence, as in the case of the image display device, the composite image display device, the gaming machine and the bowling gaming machine are stale and simple and fail to improve the entertainment characteristic of the gaming machine.
The present invention has been conceived in light of the above description and is aimed at providing a virtual image/real image superimposing and displaying apparatus which achieves fusion of an image and an actual substance, by means of combining together the fantasy of an image and the three-dimensionality and realism of an actual substance. Further, the present invention is aimed at providing a slot machine which enables fertile video expression through use of the superimposing and displaying apparatus and improves an entertainment characteristic of a game.
In order to solve the aforesaid object, the invention is characterized by having the following arrangement.
(1) A virtual image/real image superimposing and displaying apparatus for displaying a virtual image and an actual substance, comprising:
an image display for displaying an image which is a original of the virtual image;
a half mirror which forms the virtual image on the basis of the image displayed by the image display; and
a junction section which enables movement of the actual substance from a back side of the virtual image to a front side of the virtual image so as to penetrate therethrough,
wherein the actual substance becomes visible only when the actual substance is moved to a front side of the virtual image.
(2) The virtual image/real image superimposing and displaying apparatus according to (1), wherein a background of a virtual image display area in which the virtual image is displayed front of the actual substance is of dark color.
(3) A virtual image/real image superimposing and displaying apparatus for displaying a virtual image and an actual substance, comprising:
an image display for displaying an image which is a original of the virtual image;
a half mirror which forms the virtual image on the basis of the image displayed by the image display;
an actual substance which is disposed so as to extend from a front side of the virtual image to a back side of the virtual image;
an actual substance display area in which a predetermined portion of the actual substance is disposed front of the virtual image;
a virtual image display area in which the virtual image is disposed front of another portion of the actual substance; and
an image controller for moving an image of the virtual image between the actual substance display area and the virtual image display area.
(4) The virtual image/real image superimposing and displaying device according to (3), wherein a background of a virtual image display area in which the virtual image is displayed front of the actual substance is of dark color.
(5) The virtual image/real image superimposing and displaying device according to (3), further comprising:
a dark color section provided in at least a portion of the actual substance display area in which a predetermined portion of the actual substance is disposed front of the virtual image, wherein the virtual image is displayed on the dark color section.
(6) A virtual image/real image superimposing and displaying apparatus for displaying a virtual image and an actual substance, comprising:
an image display for displaying an image which is a original of the virtual image;
a half mirror which forms the virtual image on the basis of the image displayed by the image display;
an actual substance which is disposed so as to extend from a front side of the virtual image to a back side of the virtual image;
an actual substance display area in which a predetermined portion of the actual substance is disposed front of the virtual image; and
a controller for controlling the movement of the actual substance in cooperation with the virtual image.
(7) The virtual image/real image superimposing and displaying device according to (6), wherein a background of a virtual image display area in which the virtual image is displayed front of the actual substance is of dark color.
(8) The virtual image/real image superimposing and displaying device according to (6), further comprising:
a dark color section provided in at least a portion of the actual substance display area in which a predetermined portion of the actual substance is disposed front of the virtual image, wherein the virtual image is displayed on the dark color section.
(9) A slot machine which pays prize values when combination of a plurality of marks represents a winning combination, comprising:
an image display for displaying an image which is a original of a virtual image;
a half mirror which forms the virtual image on the basis of the image displayed by the image display;
a junction section enables movement of prize values from a back side of the virtual image to a front side of the virtual image so as to penetrate therethrough; and
a mechanical reel portion having a plurality of spinning drums, each of the spinning drums having the plurality of marks representing at least one of numbers and symbols, printed on a circumferential surface thereof and spinning independently,
wherein the prize values are paid from a back side of the virtual image to a front side of the virtual image so as to penetrate through the virtual image, and the prize values become visible only when moving to the front side of the virtual image.
(10) The slot machine according to (9), wherein the mechanical reel portion is disposed so as to extend from the front side of the virtual image to the back side of the same, and
movement of the mechanical reel portion is controlled by a reel controller in cooperation with the virtual image.
(11) The slot machine according to claim (9), further comprising:
a image controller which causes at least one of the spinning drums of the mechanical reel portion to be dark and displays the virtual image on the spinning drums.
(12) The slot machine according to (9), further comprising:
a plurality of lamps, each of which defines number of payout prize values, the plurality of lamps being illuminated when the plurality of marks includes a winning combination.
(13) The slot machine according to (12) further comprising a changing image controller for changing the image in response to illumination of the lamps.
(14) A slot machine which pays prize values when a plurality of marks includes a winning combination, comprising:
a gate unit placed in a channel through which the prize values are paid out; and
a gate open/close controller for controlling opening and closing action of the gate unit in accordance with progress in a game,
wherein the prize values passed through the gate unit are offered to a game player.
(15) The slot machine according to (14), wherein the game open/close controller controls opening and closing action of the gate unit in accordance with the kind of a winning combination included in the plurality of marks.
(16) A slot machine which pays prize values when a plurality of marks has included a winning combination, comprising:
a disk shooter through which a game player shoots a disk;
a start checker unit which allows passage of the disk in a case of a hit of the shot disk and blocks passage of the disk in case of failure of hit of the shot disk;
a passage detector for detecting passage of the disk; and
a drum spinning controller which starts spinning of drums of the slot machine when passage of the disk is detected.
(17) The slot machine according to (16), wherein the start checker unit has a start checker which has a plurality of openings and moves in a direction crossing a direction in which a disk is inserted, the openings located close to a disk non-return passage being wide and the openings located close to a disk return passage being narrow.
(18) The slot machine according to (16), further comprising a table member which is disposed between the start checker unit and the disk shooter and can be switched between a horizontal state for guiding a rolling disk to the start check unit and a tilt state for guiding a tipped disk to the disk return passage and the disk non-return passage.
(19) The slot machine according to (18), further comprising a time lamp for indicating whether the table member is in a horizontal state or a tilt state.
(20) The slot machine according to (19), wherein a plurality of lamps are provided as the time lamp, and the number of time lamps illuminated is associated with the tilt state of the table member.